OTTAWA -- CTV News has learned an employee of Bayshore Shopping Centre has tested positive for COVID-19, and mall management says the shopping centre has been thoroughly cleaned.
A letter to employees dated July 13, obtained by CTV News, confirmed the case.
"We have been informed that a person working at Bayshore Shopping Centre tested positive for COVID-19," the letter attributed to General Manager Denis Pelletier said. "Please note that this person is no longer in the shopping centre."
In a response to CTV Ottawa's request for comment, mall management company Ivanhoé Cambridge spokesperson Katherine Roux Groleau said the individual had not been in the mall since July 3.
"As the health and safety of our visitors, tenants and their employees is of the utmost importance, Ivanhoé Cambridge and Bayshore Shopping Centre took all necessary precautions to follow the protocols and guidelines prescribed by the public health authorities and the government of Ontario when we were informed of the situation," Roux Groleau said.
The mall hired a contractor to aid in the "thorough cleaning of all areas under the centre’s control, including all common areas."
Citing privacy, Roux Groleau would not say whether the affected individual worked in a store in the mall or was a member of mall staff.
"[P]rior to being informed of this situation and on an ongoing basis, Bayshore Shopping Centre has been and is continuing to diligently disinfect the common areas throughout the shopping centre (elevator buttons, countertops, bathrooms, entry doors, door handles, railing, handrails, etc.)," Roux Groleau said. "Should we be informed of a confirmed case at the property, we will deploy the necessary thorough cleaning protocol as directed by the public health and governmental authorities to deal with the situation appropriately and help fight the spread of the virus."
Ottawa Public Health told CTV News it could also not comment on the individual case, including the place of employment, but said contact tracing is ongoing.
"OPH continues to reach out directly to cases and close contacts and is reaching 94% of people who have tested positive and 92% of close contacts within 24 hours," a spokesperson said.
There was no mention from OPH about a wider need for Bayshore customers to be tested for COVID-19.
Malls in Ontario were allowed to reopen in Stage 2, with pandemic control measures in place. Ottawa malls were able to open as of June 12.
